Funeral Games audiobook

This was an action-packed conclusion to a trilogy I've really enjoyed. It uses a lot of the genre's common tropes, but that's part of why I love reading these kinds of books.The action was almost nonstop, and it was just plain fun to read. These books aren't going to be mistaken for great literature, but they're very fun popcorn reads with surprising character depth, especially regarding the main character.The ending had me upset at first, but then I managed to smile a bit. That's always a good thing.Rating: 9/10

So, Arkarin Blackhawk used to be a really, really bad guy. He was an Imperial General no less, known then as Frigus Umbra. Now how did our author come up with a name like that? Well, it is Latin and if you look up the meaning of “Frigus” it will say it means “cold, cold weather or frost”. That pretty much fits what the General was, a cold-blooded killer without emotions. Then “Umbra” translates to “shadow or darkness” and that pretty much describes how the former General was usually seen, as the shadow of death! Now the question is, can Arkarin Blackhawk really bury his past and act as he has for the past twenty-five years or will he eventually revert to his murderous past self?As the story to date shows, he’s pretty much been on the side of good for quite some time. Yeah, he and his crew of the Wolf’s Claw have done some questionable things, but only when it was absolutely necessary and usually against people that deserved what they got. His best friend, Marshal Augustin Lucerne, knows about his past and now his crew does too. Yet, they have all stood by him and will continue to do so even thought some of his darker traits have been coming forth on specific occasions. They all can see the dark side of Arkarin, but they also know he is a strong fighter and will keep that self at bay as much as necessary.Marshal Lucerne is now set to see his dream of a Far Star Confederation come into existence. Yet, he also sees trouble brewing and is not quite sure where it’s coming from. Unknown to him, the Imperial Governor on Galvanus Prime is much more active and ambitious than those in the past. Governor Vos has laid a number of deadly plans that are about to come to their success. Two of which will directly effect both Marshal Lucerne and Arkarin Blackhawk. Marshal Lucerne doesn’t want his daughter, Astra, to succeed him if anything should happen to him. So he’s in the process of naming Arkarin Blackhawk as his successor and General Rafelus DeMark as the next in line if something were to happen to Blackhawk. Blackhawk doesn’t want the position because of his past. He believes getting into a position of that much power will drive him back to wanting more and more. He believes he would become a terrifying tyrant of the Far Stars and not the benevolent ruler that Marshal Lucerne has become. But, due to Governor Vos’s actions, Blackhawk is kind of forced to become the new leader of the Confederation. And now, his old persona of General Frigus Umbra is screaming to get out. Governor Vos has no idea of the monster he has awakened and neither does anyone else. They are soon to find out that Arkarin Blackhawk is extremely capable at warfare and his enemies will suffer greatly. It’s up to his friends and Astra Lucerne to reign in General Frigus Umbra and get Arkarin Blackhawk back in charge. Until they do, nothing but death and destruction awaits the Far Stars Confederation.In this book, I also read something that’s very puzzling to me in that science fiction authors seem to think conquering a planet is just a matter of landing a few thousand soldiers in the right spot and that’s about it. I don’t know how they can think that way. Imagine aliens landing in say Texas. There are about 164,000 US troops in this state alone. Our combined military strength in the United States is some where around 1.1 million! So how does an alien invasion force capture an entire planet by just landing a few troop ships? Of course their weapons would probably be much better than ours and they could bombard everything from space, but too many sci-fi authors seem to make it an easy task to conquer a planet by just landing at one spot and fighting whatever troops are there. Unless the target planet is grossly uninhabited, then it’s going to take quite a lot of aliens to capture most any planet. Ok, enough of my rambling. This appears to be the end of this series although I can see other stories involving Arkarin Blackhawk and the Wolf’s Claw. I would like to read more about the Wolf’s Claw and Arkarin Blackhawk.

The Far Stars, broken and beaten by the Empire's Governor Vos, are prime for a little revolution.Arkarin Blackhawk is sliding back into his Frigus Umbra persona to lead the battle against the Empire's forces. A cold, cruel taskmaster with no empathy for lesser men, Frigus went to war with Governor Vos and his imperial forces to wrest control of the Far Stars and lead the Confederation to a free and independent future.As usual, Jay Allen has brought to life figures from his mind and transformed them into brilliantly imaginative characters. More friends than actors on a page, the crew of the Wolf's Claw have become indelibly marked on my memory and will live brightly as friends. Remarkable friends. An amazing adventure from the mind of Jay Allen, taking us far from our comfortable lives and leading us to a handful of planets in a hundred systems, far across the Void from the Imperial machinations. For a few hours I was fighting alongside Arkarin Blackhawk and the remarkable crew of the Wolf's Claw, saving world's, rescuing damsels in distress (I'm kidding, there are no distressed damsels in Blackhawk's world!) From the evil Empire. I'm terribly upset to see this series end, and I'm already jonesing for new adventures with the Claw's crew. Bring it on, Jay! I can take it!

Another great series by Jay AllanThe author finishes the last book in his far stars series. As always he leaves his readers wanting more. The people of the far stars fight the oppressive Empire for freedom under a strong leader with a hidden past. As you follow Arkarin Blackhawk, his ship Wolfs Claw and his crew you also come to know his secret and his burden. You come to know the men and women who follow him and the woman that loves him. The struggle to form the planet's that make up the far stars into a free Confederation in spite of the greed and ruthlessness of those in power. Eventually the success of Arkarin Blackhawk and what that success costs him. Military Sci-fi at it's best.

Funeral Games by Jay AllanThis book jumped to a new level. I enjoyed Shadow of Empire and Enemy in the Dark. I really enjoyed this book. Blackhawk comes to grip with his alter ego or past history. The emissary of the Emperor accelerates his plan to take over the planets of the Far Stars. Blackhawk’s internal conflict plays a large part in this book. Conflict rages as well as planetary wide conflicts. A funeral plays a large part in the plot. This is space opera at it’s best. I recommend the book.

Interesting characters and settingOverall I enjoyed the 3 book series. Lacking a little on the tech side but it held together in the plot line. Characters were engaging and I liked the background development provided. Obviously more to come, so I'll be looking to see how the story line develops as the newly reassembled crew heads off to points unknown.

4.0The wrap-up was perhaps the best part for me as it allowed the emotional parts of the characters to be seen. Most of the book, and trilogy, felt like the telling of a war story with a somewhat dystopian feel to it. While it was a harder read for me, I do prefer this type of story telling to the new trend of segmented serials.

GoldenOutstanding trilogy Well written and ever evolving. Plots, subplots and great characters round out this exciting series. Pick up this series and get ready for a fantastic ride!

This whole series is dynamite. Space opera at its best!The characters are believable, the action scenes will amaze any military types. Really great works, the whole series. You will read this Author for years to come...

As always the last book is the bestI would have given this book 5 stars but for the end—Arkan got his goons but lost out on love.

Thrilling conclusion to this trilogy. Nicely wrapped up the storyline with the plot keeping me on edge until the end. The character development got better and better as the books went on.

Writing style took me a while to get used to, but glad I stuck with the series, final chapter is definitely the best, especial pace wise.

A Rare 21st Century Masterpiece of Science Fiction Writing!!!This book is the last (I pray not!) of a three-book series.The grammar and style is a masterpiece of storytelling and writing equivalent to those created during the 20th century. After reading each book, I felt further educated in the eloquent use of the English language; to include multiple presentations of echelons of military and political power, and how each is used, for the struggle to control of mankind over the centuries; and now, a millennia from now.I would also like to point out that what transpires in the storyline could be used as the original baseline of how it all began; to create the orders with powers of what is now known (in science fiction) as the order of the Jedi Knights and the other orders of the dark forces. This can be seen from the first Imperial genetic altering of Arkarin (Anakin in several thousand years?) Blackhawk...the main character, and the genetic altering of the Imperial assassins. This genetic altering could be the markers that ultimately became what is now known as the, "Midi-Chlorians".Brilliant!!! More books please!!!

The Far Stars Trilogy was....AWESOME!!!This trilogy was a beautifully crafted story that began with The Far Star Legends I. It gives the baseline of where Arkarin Blackhawk began... It is a "must read" before the Trilogy! Jay Allen's descriptions of everything, in detail, sometimes makes you want to "fast forward" because they are during the lead up to the exciting situations but to do that would create a blank spot in your mind. The same with mainly Ark's introspection, but it is said that a man without introspection is a man without a soul.This book is the final struggle to victory and it is so immersive that you feel like you were there! Character creation was beautiful for each and every main character and the secondary characters you still got to know them... Ark, Ace, Shira, Katarina, Sam,Lucas and the Twins... Do Not Miss Your Chance to Read This Amazing Trilogy..! War is hell, but the bonds you revive during war will last a lifetime!

Arkarin Blackhawk find he must face his past when the plans of the Empire's governor move into action. The governor has taken control of the Far Stars Bank and shipping, has been training Far Stars' dregs to be an army, his intent to take over the Far Stars and bring them under his Emperor's banner. But a member of an ancient assassins guild is sent for Augustin Lucerne and Blackhawk. They have been genetically modified like Blackhawk, but much more so. For the Far Stars to remain free of the Empire, they must survive assassination attempts, the Governors army and themselves as the governors money buys people to his side. But one thing is certain, if they survive, things are never going to be the same.

Note: I was the editor for this bookA great conclusion to this really fun series. Blackhawk struggles not only with a powerful enemy, but his own internal demons, as the Far Star series races to an exciting end.If you like your space adventure lean and mean, with lots of action and really fun characters, then you should read these books.